Panjab University Notable Alumni

The Panjab University notable alumni list is full of India's best and brightest. The university's commitment to attracting the best students and faculty is borne out by its distinguished alumni and exceptional students.

Panjab University stands amongst India's oldest universities. Ranked 44th in the overall ranking by NIRF and 291-300 in the QS World Rankings Asia, Panjab University can be viewed as a truly outstanding university of India. This article details the notable alumni of Panjab University and their immense contribution to the country. 

Panjab University Distinguished Alumni

Panjab University has produced a huge number of notable alumni. Many have contributed significantly to the nation, others to fields such as engineering, pharmaceuticals, literature, etc. The names of a few of these notable alumni have been given below.

• Kalpana Chawla
• Manmohan Singh
• Nuruddin Farah
• Ajay. K. Sood
• Jagdish Singh Khehar
• BN. Goswamy
• Kirron Kher

Kalpana Chawla

A national hero who needs no introduction. Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman in space. As a NASA astronaut, she took her first flight to space in the space shuttle Columbia. She completed her B.E. Engineering in aeronautical engineering from Panjab University and moved to the USA in 1982. Her first mission in space was in 1996, and her second in 2003. She logged over 31 days and 14 hours in space in total.

Kalpana Chawla received many honors and was awarded for the actions she took in life. She was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and has had many universities, institutions, and objects named after her. The name of the girl's hostel at Punjab Engineering college of Panjab University was changed to one based on her. 

Profession: NASA astronaut, Scientist.

Manmohan Singh

The 13th and former prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, was the first PM since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing his first five-year term in office. A notable Indian economist, Manmohan Singh, was the former Chief Economic Advisor, the former Governor of RBI, and the Planning Commission of India. He completed his graduation and post-graduation degrees in economics from Panjab University, remaining unmatched in his position as the first student.

He was the Finance Minister in Narasimha Rao's cabinet and was the driving force in pushing India's economy towards changing to an open-market system. His contributions towards India's reforms and its financial policies are second to none, and he has been the most influential architect of India's economy.

Profession: Prime Minister of India, Economist, Academic.  

Nuruddin Farah

Perhaps the name that rings the loudest in East-African literature today, Nuruddin Farah is a Somali poet revered for his soul-stirring prose. The perennial nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature, his first book, From a Crooked Rib, gained him enormous fame as someone on the level of the best authors in the world. He is the recipient of the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature. His best-known work is Maps, set during a period of conflict and examining the questions of a post-independence world. 

He also serves on the International Advisory Board of Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies. He is a playwright too, with many notable works in this field to his name. 

Profession: Somali Novelist, Playwright.

Read More on Panjab University

Ajay. K. Sood

An Indian scientist who is rightly known for his notable accomplishments in the fields of science and technology. Ajay. K. Sood completed both his graduation and post-graduation in science from Panjab University. He is a holder of 7 patents and is celebrated for his advancements in graphene and nanotechnology. A recipient of the Padma Shri award by the government of India for his works, he is the unquestionable authority in his field in India. In addition, he found the 'Sood Effect,' a phenomenon that has been recorded in the scientific field. 

He has been associated with the Indian Institute of Science (IIS) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. He is also the chairman of the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi. Sood's advancements to science and his research into Hard and Soft matter have numerous uses, both scientifically and practically. 

Profession: Indian Physicist, Professor.

Jagdish Singh Khehar

The 44th and former Chief Justice of India, Jagdish Singh Khehar, was the first Singh from the Sikh community to become the CJI of India. He was part of many landmark judgments, such as the 2-G spectrum case, Triple Talaq, and the Right to Judgement case. He served in the Supreme court for over five years. Though his tenure as CJI was brief, he still served in many pivotal cases. 

He completed both his graduation and his master’s from Panjab University in 1977 and 1979, respectively. 

Profession: Former Chief Justice of India, Judge.   

B.N. Goswamy

An Indian Art critic and author, he has an extraordinarily long and intimate relationship with Panjab University. B. N. Goswamy studied there twice and then later returned as an art faculty and later continued as a professor. He is instantly recognizable due to his scholarship on Pahari paintings and Indian miniature paintings. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award from the government of India for his contributions to the field of Indian art. He was later awarded the even more prestigious Padma Bhushan award for the same. 

At Panjab University, he created the Museum of Fine Arts, which holds over 1000 pieces of contemporary Indian art. He serves as the Director of the museum. Known as the most distinguished scholar of Indian miniature paintings alive, Goswamy is a leading light when it comes to art and culture.

Profession: Professor, Indian Art Critic.

Kirron Kher

An accomplished Indian film actress, TV actress, and now a Lok Sabha member, Kirron Ker is a name and face everyone familiar with a TV knows. She is one of the pillars of the Indian TV and film industry. Her big break happened in Bariwali, where her portrayal won her the Best Actress award in the National Film awards. Since then, she has starred in numerous hit movies such as Devdas, Main Hoon Na, etc. 

She became internationally acclaimed with her role in Khamosh Pani, which won the Best Film – Golden Leopard, Festival Grand Prize at Locarno. Her role also saw her win the Best Actress award for the same. She is also the MP from Chandigarh and has promised to create a Film City for her constituency. 

Profession: MP, Film Actress. 

Panjab University Alumni Community

Panjab University has a thriving alumni community, with numerous eminent personalities in the mix. It honors its distinguished alumni with special recognition. The official alumni association and community club of Panjab University can be accessed from the Panjab University official portal. Given below are the links for the same.

Particulars	Links
Panjab University Official Portal	Click Here
Panjab University Distinguished Alumni	Click Here
Department of Alumni Relations	Click Here

Other Distinguished Alumni of Punjab University

There are many notable and prominent alumni of Panjab University across all fields and professions. They can be found in many integral positions in India, both as nation-builders and pioneers, and experts. A list of these notables and their professions is given below.

Alumni	Profession
Narinder Singh Vohra	Former Governor of J&K
Deepak Pental	Researcher, Professor
Mukesh Gautam	Film Director
Veena Tandon	Indian Parasitologist
Harjinder Singh Dilgeer	Author
Lionel Ranwala	Musician
Atul Gurtu	Physicist
Ravi Bhardwaj	Indian Basketball Player
Sunil Grover	Actor
Kanwal Sibal	Former Foreign Secretary